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Overview
Design, measure, fit, and adapt orthopedic braces, appliances or prostheses, such as limbs or facial parts for patients with disabling conditions.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Orthotists and prosthetists typically do the following:
- Evaluate and interview patients to determine their needs
- Take measurements or impressions of the part of a patient’s body that will be fitted with a brace or artificial limb
- Design and fabricate orthopedic and prosthetic devices based on physicians’ prescriptions
- Select materials to be used for the orthotic or prosthetic device
- Instruct patients in how to use and care for their devices
- Adjust, repair, or replace prosthetic and orthotic devices
- Document care in patients’ records
Orthotists and prosthetists may work in both orthotics and prosthetics, or they may choose to specialize in one area. Orthotists are specifically trained to work with medical supportive devices, such as spinal or knee braces. Prosthetists are specifically trained to work with prostheses, such as artificial limbs and other body parts.
Some orthotists and prosthetists construct devices for their patients. Others supervise the construction of the orthotic or prosthetic devices by medical appliance technicians.
Salary
Median salary: $70,190 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $53,770 and $89,240.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for specialized health technologists and technicians
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Orthotists and Prosthetists
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of orthotists and prosthetists who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
- Hazardous Equipment (87%)
- Exposed to Contaminants (86%)
- Time Pressure (83%)
- Exposed to Disease or Infections (55%)
- Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (46%)
- Hazardous Conditions (46%)
- Unpleasant or Angry People (37%)
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Orthotists and Prosthetists? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Communication skills
Orthotists and prosthetists must be able to communicate effectively with the technicians who often fabricate the medical devices. They must also be able to explain to patients how to use and care for the devices.
Detail oriented
Orthotists and prosthetists must be precise when recording measurements to ensure that devices are fabricated and fit properly.
Patience
Orthotists and prosthetists may work for long periods with patients who need special attention.
Physical dexterity
Orthotists and prosthetists must be good at working with their hands. They may fabricate orthotics or prosthetics with intricate mechanical parts.
Physical stamina
Orthotists and prosthetists should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as working with shop equipment and hand tools. They may spend a lot of time bending over or crouching to examine or measure patients.
Problem-solving skills
Orthotists and prosthetists must evaluate their patients’ situations and often look for creative solutions to their rehabilitation needs.
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by orthotists and prosthetists
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), orthotists and prosthetists typically hold a master's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as specialized health technologists and technicians as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for orthotists and prosthetists
All orthotists and prosthetists must complete a master’s degree in orthotics and prosthetics. These programs include courses in upper and lower extremity orthotics and prosthetics, spinal orthotics, and plastics and other materials used for fabrication. In addition, orthotics and prosthetics programs have a clinical component in which the student works under the direction of an orthotist or prosthetist.
Master’s programs usually take 2 years to complete. Prospective students seeking a master’s degree can have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline if they have fulfilled prerequisite courses in science and math. Requirements vary by program.
In 2016, there were about a dozen orthotics and prosthetics programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for orthotists and prosthetists
Some states require orthotists and prosthetists to be licensed. States that license orthotists and prosthetists often require certification in order for them to practice, although requirements vary by state. Many orthotists and prosthetists become certified regardless of state requirements, because certification demonstrates competence.
The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC) offers certification for orthotists and prosthetists. To earn certification, a candidate must complete a CAAHEP-accredited master’s program, an NCOPE-accredited residency program, and pass a series of three exams.
Education level of Specialized Health Technologists and Technicians
Only 30% of specialized health technologists and technicians have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by specialized health technologists and technicians
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Specialized Health Technologists and Technicians per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most orthotists and prosthetists? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as orthotists and prosthetists. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where orthotists and prosthetists earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for specialized health technologists and technicians compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for specialized health technologists and technicians.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which specialized health technologists and technicians earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Specialized Health Technologists and Technicians (ACS for all specialties)
Employment
17% of Specialized health technologists and technicians are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 17% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 61% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of specialized health technologists and technicians by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Specialized health technologists and technicians and gender
With 64% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 76% of careers.
Gender of Specialized health technologists and technicians
Men (36%)
Women (64%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers
in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women
by 19%, and the difference
for specialized health technologists and technicians tops that, with the median salary for
men 20% higher than the median
salary for women.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Specialized health technologists and technicians
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Specialized health technologists and technicians.
Race/origin of specialized health technologists and technicians
White (62% )
Black (23% )
Asian (8% )
Other (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
American Indian (1% )
Hispanic (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
